Friday, June 23, 2023

And Now, the News


This was the scene as Olga and I lay on the grass yesterday afternoon. I was reading and Olga...wasn't.

I finished "The Bluest Eye," which was poetic and beautiful and sad. There is no reason on this earth why that book should be banned from any library. I can think of much, much more troubling and prurient books. It's so weird what these book-banning types focus on. I think the fact that it's by a black woman and is essentially about racism probably amplifies whatever sexual offensiveness they perceive in its pages.

There's been some interesting stuff going on in the news lately:

1. The Titanic submersible story was horrible, but I'm comforted now to learn that the passengers apparently died instantly and early on in the ordeal. It was much worse to imagine them trapped two miles below the surface of the ocean in a cold, dark tube with dwindling air. It reminded me of the sinking of the Kursk more than 20 years ago, which gave me nightmares at the time. (Psychologically, I don't do submarines.)

2. I've seen a couple of stories about Tucker Carlson's former producers leaving Fox News. (Does anyone doubt they're going to work for him in some capacity as he ramps up his own fake-news production company?) What's interesting in these stories is the repeated, stated emphasis on the fact that Fox's executives are women. Carlson's own quote, following the appearance of the chyron that called Joe Biden a "wanna-be dictator," was: "Inside Fox, the women who run the network panicked...First they scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen." The Gateway Pundit called them "the ladies in charge." It doesn't take much imagination to pick up on the misogyny -- those panicky, scoldy women!

3. Here in the UK, our economy is said to be in a "growth doom loop" following the catastrophe of Brexit and decades of underinvestment by Tory governments. All that austerity did us a world of good, didn't it? Even pro-Brexit voters think leaving the EU has been a shambles, but of course they blame the politicians for screwing it up, rather than admitting it was a terrible idea from the get-go.

4. The median age in the United States is now 38.9 years, the oldest it's ever been. I immediately suspected this was the result of the aging of the Baby Boomers, which I believed to be the largest generation. But apparently my info is out of date. The Millennials are actually the largest generation, followed by something called Generation Z (born after 1997). Then come the Baby Boomers in third place. I knew my generation, Generation X, was smaller than the others, but it's not that much smaller. Anyway, the U.S. is apparently getting older primarily because there are fewer babies.

5. Finally, did you see that Teresa Taylor, a drummer for the punk band the Butthole Surfers, died? This is significant to me only because she's the public face of the early '90s movie "Slacker," pictured on the posters and DVD case. This was a seminal movie for Generation X, supposedly portraying our malaise and lack of direction. Her death makes me feel old. (By the way, I'm not thrilled about putting the word "butthole" on my blog, but if The New York Times can put it in a headline, I suppose I can tolerate it.)
 

This was my big project yesterday. I moved the foxglove seedlings from the seed tray to individual pots, so they can grow on and get bigger. I tried very hard to plant a minimum of seeds so I didn't wind up with too many plants, but I still have 18 of them! It's so hard to control those tiny seeds, which are like dust. (Two of those plants I don't think are foxgloves, but I repotted them anyway just to see what they become.)

27 comments:

  1. I used to lie on the grass reading when I was a kid. Can't do it here though, I'd get eaten alive by all the ants. Zillions of ants.

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  2. I remember lying on the grass reading when I was a kid on leave in England. Must be something about English grass.
    I am looking forward to seeing more of your summer gardening endeavours.

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  3. I find it amusing and charming that you are working so hard to grow foxgloves. I am fortunate that they voluntarily grow willy nilly all over my property: in the flower beds, in the gravel drive, in the rock retaining wall. I find them beautiful and so I appreciate that they like it around here.

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  4. I'm trying to avoid anything depressing for a few days. Too much else in my head at the moment. This means reality is to be avoided. I love you and your seedlings... always with the intention of not ending up with too many plants. But, you have a lot of foxes and they all need gloves (to go with their socks).

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  5. I never understood at the time and nor can I now, why England could not have negotiated with the EC over what troubled the people of England about being a member of the EU. I was doubtful leaving was a good idea at the time and I am now fairly convinced it was a bad idea. Perhaps it is that politicians handled it so badly.

    I don't like the word 'butthole' at all. There are at least two versions of a good descriptive word starting with the letter a.

    I wonder if the US stats apply to Australia. I have a feeling they might.

    I agree with you about Kursk. It was horrible to think about.

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  6. You are right about the submarine Steve. It seems it was a swift ending for those men. Operating it with a computer games console seems so utterly wrong.and there are serious questions to be asked about the company.

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  7. I may have missed it. I'm trying very hard to check in on blogs regularly, but is that your new project? I know you read the Newberry books. Are you now trying to read the banned books? I personally think that this is great! If I had more time, I'd do it myself.

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  8. Most of the banned books are by minority authors. Sex is only the excuse. I have spoke!

    Olga knows how to live!

    The submersible was an accident waiting to happen. Sadly, it did qualify for the Darwin award. I'm sorry for the youngster who apparently only went to please his father.

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  9. I'm older than the median age in the US???

    Dear god, what shall I do, what will become of me ... 😲

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  10. You are living life right, Steve! Of course Olga always lives life right.
    I wonder about the sort of person who would go on that vessel to view the wreckage of the Titanic. I mean- sure, it would be interesting. But honestly, most of us could not be paid enough money to descend to the depths in that thing and yet, those guys paid a fortune for the opportunity. I feel sorrow for their families and those who loved them.
    Another concept I do not grasp- the banning of books. Could there be anything more ridiculous?
    Humans. We're weird. Generation after generation, the weirdness continues.

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  11. Coming back because I forgot to tell you about my happy dance at seeing your correct use of "a shambles", because its singular, and I wish people knew that! Sign me: Founding Member, Pedants'Revolt.

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  12. Butthole, butthole, butthole- chocolate star. It is a game , like button button.
    The absurdity of the sub in deep water makes me not sad. Money makes people dumb, Maybe?
    Baby foxglove just want to live- they will do well and will fill a spot in your garden I am sure- so successful where we live that people tear them out of their gardens- horrors!

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  13. I appreciate your round-up of news here.
    “Growth doom loop”— what a great phrase.

    Have you seen the T-shirt that says,
    “I READ BANNED BOOKS
    & ALL I GOT WAS SMARTER”?
    I wonder how many people who call for a book to be banned have actually read that book? Are all those people *reading* Toni Morrison?

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  14. I love that you repotted the unidentified plants just to see what they were - that is totally something I would do. I do recognize maple tree seedlings & will pull them up, but everything else is a mystery & full of possibility!

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  15. I don't think I've ever used the word "butthole" in my 71 years on earth. It is unlikely I will ever use it.
    The 24 hours news cycle has killed the news. Every little thing gets blown out of proportion for headline grabbing attention. Truly absurd.
    Nice to see Olga resting there.

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  16. the Titan was apparently basically a tin can steered by a computer game toggle. unbelievable that anyone would risk going down in that. all the world's attention was on 5 millionaires while a boat of hundreds of migrants capsized killing most of them and nobody gives a fuck.

    as for using the word 'butthole' I often wonder why certain words are considered taboo. we all have a butt hole, we poop out of it. why is that so horrible. also I noticed several publications wouldn't even spell out the word 'bitch' re Marge Greene calling Boebert 'a little bitch' on the floor of the House.

    and I was in Scotland when the vote happened staying with a family while I was at an international artist symposium and they were pissed about the outcome. stupid, stupid, stupid, the man said.

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  17. I think banning books actually makes them more popular, don't you? Everyone wants to read them so they can find out what is naughty about them. Free publicity for the author. Crazy!

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  18. I had the exact same thoughts about that submersible. I was relieved to know it was a quick end.
    You (and Olga) found the perfect place to do a little reading or in her case sleeping.
    I was looking for a specific photo in my files and I discovered that the Desert Botanical Garden used to grow foxgloves back between 2009 and 2014. I wonder why they haven't had any since.

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  19. Lots of fun facts here -- apart from the Titan. I'm glad it was quick if it had to be.

    I feel for you all with Brexit. Hard consequences but they are felt by all...

    I will never catch up with all the posts I've missed over the past week or so. But I'll do my best to keep up!

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  20. I have always read that Brexit came about because the UK did not want to take "its share" of migrants. No idea if that was true. I guess there were also restrictions on how curved a banana could be. This is US reporting which is notoriously bad.
    The garden is looking marvelous, and Olga is living her best life in it.

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  21. It is hard to fathom the reasoning of the people (Farage, Johnson, etc, etc) that said Brexit was going to be good for England. It made utterly no sense. And don't get me started on the hubris of the CEO of Oceangate........

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  22. The more I read about Titan, the angrier I got, so I have to leave that alone. I agree with your commenters about the lack of press for the migrants who drowned versus the billionaires in the rickety submersible.

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  23. My youngest grandson is now making reference to his butthole (or maybe he's saying b-hole), but only in conjunction with bathroom protocol. My daughter reminded me that with toddlers you need to be specific! (sorry if that's TMI... talk like that could get a book banned!)

    Love the grassy photo with Olga.

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  24. No, I Didn't Read About Teresa T - Unreal - And That's The Best Olga Photo Ever - She Just Might Beat Loki On The Dead Dog Acting Front - Skillz We Are Talking - Skillz

    Enjoy The Weekend ,
    Cheers

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  25. Sigh, this grammar pedant used its when she was perfectly aware that it's was required. She plan's to blame autocorrect.

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  26. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2334612/Queens-Coronation-Children-fancy-dress-trestle-tables-streets-Readers-pictures-Queens-Coronation-60-years-ago-today-reveal-celebrated-big-day.html

    Not sure if my message posted— I wondered if the photo of the children eating at a trestle type table (one of the photos from the collection). was 1953 the Queens Coronation see clip above from newspaper with older children with hats at table eating while adults clustered at the end.

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  27. River: Yeah, Florida's like that too. Plus the grass there is all prickly and scratchy.

    Caro: Northern grass is MUCH softer than grass in drier, warmer climes.

    Susan: SO many people seem to have that experience! We might get one or two volunteers but if I want any more than that I have to cultivate them.

    Mitchell: I know what you mean about the news. Sometimes you just gotta turn it off.

    Andrew: British participation in the EU was pretty iffy from the very beginning. There'd been an earlier referendum to stay in, but a lot of people grated at the idea -- particularly older people who remembered World War II and its aftermath and resented being outvoted in the European parliament by Germans.

    YP: Yeah, the whole venture seemed pretty slipshod, didn't it?

    Debby: It's not an officially stated project, but our recent book challenges made me take up several that I might not otherwise have read. (Which is what ALWAYS happens and it's why challenges and bans are so ironic -- they merely increase the audience for those books!)

    Boud: I think it's a combination of racism and homophobia. Many of the challenged books have to do with same-sex relationships. (Or trans people.)

    Bob: You and me both! By far, in my case!

    Ms Moon: That's the most astonishing thing, how this stuff persists one generation after another. We never learn.

    Linda Sue: I wonder if people who make a lot of money are inherently risk-takers. Or maybe having a lot of money makes them seek out that adrenalin surge because simpler pleasures are no longer satisfying?

    Fresca: I would love that shirt! No, none of these banners have read the books in question. They literally just Google up the most offensive phrases and cite them.

    Bug: It's amazing how prolific maples can be. I pull them up in our garden too. If humanity disappeared our garden would be a maple forest in 20 years! (Kind of a nice idea, actually.)

    Robin: Ha! I don't think I've ever used it either, until now!

    Ellen: The news is all about novelty. It's sad to say but migrants dying while crossing the sea happens too often to remain a compelling narrative. (Although what WAS interesting about the most recent disaster was the Greek coast guard's lackadaisical response to saving them.) The Titan situation, meanwhile, was unlike anything we've seen before.

    Ellen D: Absolutely! That's what's so funny about book bans. They always backfire!

    Sharon: Hmmmmm...that's interesting. Maybe they're leaning more toward native plants now? Are foxgloves native in Arizona?

    Jeanie: Don't feel compelled to read them all! I realize I write way too much. :)

    Allison: Yes, I think the migrant crisis precipitated the Brexit vote, definitely. As I said above, lots of British people were skeptical about the EU in general, but I think the specter of all those migrants coming to British shores freaked people out. (And now they're coming to British shores anyway. It's the way of the modern world!)

    Jim: I think a small network of powerful bankers and business people wanted to be free of EU regulations, and they mobilized voters by capitalizing on xenophobia. But Brexit isn't good for anybody on the street.

    Margaret: The Titan was a terrible situation but it didn't anger me. I figure if someone's going to put themselves in such a risky position they have to be prepared for possible consequences.

    Kelly: Ha! I don't think we called it that when I was growing up. I think my mom just said "bottom." So much for specificity!

    Padre: Ha! She does convincingly look dead from time to time. So much so I have to check that she's breathing!

    Boud: ALWAYS blame autocorrect!

    Jean: Yes, I saw your message on the subsequent post! It DOES look like that's a very good possibility for that photo.

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